Blackout
by Poetgirl925
Summary: An Olicity Halloween story. When the lights go out in Starling City, chaos follows, and a hacker from Felicity's past is claiming credit. In order to help an old friend, Felicity enters the world of black hat hackers and the underground cyber goth scene. But when Oliver discovers what she's been up to, hackers are the least of her worries.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: A little late for Halloween, but I had been working on this story for a few weeks and decided to post it anyway. It's shorter – maybe 5 chapters (depending on editing) and I'll post maybe every other day to every couple of days. It's finished but I'm still doing some editing. It's pretty Felicity centric, and will end with an Olicity pairing. Rating is T for the moment, but I might add to one of the later chapters and alter the rating if necessary. Hope you enjoy it!**

**Chapter 1**

Felicity took a deep breath and couldn't help blinking against the heavier than usual eye makeup and false lashes she'd applied. The dark liner contrasted well with the blue and purple shadows she'd blended, making her eyes pop. She ran a tentative finger over the small jewels pasted at the corners of her eyes and wiggled her nose, feeling her nose ring shift a bit with the movement. She'd slicked on a neon blue lipstick that matched her nails, and she pulled the lipstick tube out of her purse to add another layer. The visor mirror reflected someone else entirely, and the transformation was still a little shocking.

The neon blue, purple and black bustier she wore was tight and more revealing than she was used to, so she looked down once more to make sure her girls were safely tucked in. A black, tulle micro mini, ripped fishnets worn over purple and black knee socks, and chunky black, furry ankle boots completed the odd look. She'd gathered her hair back in a half ponytail reminiscent of Japanese anime characters, leaving a few strands down to frame her face, and hair extensions had been added in shades that coordinated with her outfit.

_Here goes nothing_, she thought, gathering her nerve and exiting her mini cooper. The few other times she'd gone undercover, she'd had Oliver and Diggle in her ear. Tonight she was on her own, something they would definitely not approve of, but her friend needed her help. She walked down the block and kept a careful eye on her surroundings, aware that she was drawing attention from random men on the street. The underground cyber goth club she was going to was located on the fringes of the Glades, so the neighborhood was sketchy at best. On the corner, she spied the Japanese noodle shop Josh had told her about. The stairs to the right led her down to the basement level.

She knocked on the green door. When it opened, a girl who looked suspiciously like Wednesday Addams stood on the other side.

"Anno domination."

As secret club passwords went, she thought it was a little silly. But Wednesday stepped aside to let her enter with no questions. She was in; she couldn't help giving herself a little pat on the back. The club was dark, lit with what appeared to be neon bulbs, and Euro techno beats pulsed through the speakers.

Instead of one large room, the club was comprised of several rooms connected by short hallways. Couches and tables were scattered throughout, and they were all crowded. Some people were dancing while others were busy with tablets and laptops. She heard snatches of conversations about coding and hacking as she walked, keeping an eye out for her target.

Thirty minutes later she spotted him. And just as Josh had predicted, she didn't have to do a thing because he came to her. Blonde cyber goth girls were apparently his type, and she had committed to the role. But the plan was to keep it short the first night and just lay the groundwork. So after spending an hour talking code with her new admirer and promising to return, she left.

Felicity texted Josh to let him know she was on her way to the cyber café. The evening had started out a little nerve-wracking, but now she felt almost hyper and knew it was the adrenaline. Before meeting Oliver, she was pretty sure she wouldn't have been able to pull this off. She was almost looking forward to going back out even if she was afraid she looked like a goth version of a Bratz doll.

Felicity parked her car outside the cyber café and got out. She saw Josh standing at the door and waved, thankful that Halloween was close. People would probably assume she was in costume for a party.

"Felicity?"

People did not include Diggle, though. She turned and saw John standing behind her with a woman she'd never seen before. Both were staring at her, but John's expression of incredulity was almost comical. He was never going to believe she'd dressed like this for a Halloween party.

_Crap._

* * *

_**Five days earlier…**_

_Thank God it's Friday_, Felicity thought as she turned off her computer and gathered her things. And she was actually leaving the office at a reasonable hour. Ever since Oliver's return to Starling City the previous year and her subsequent change in job title, she hadn't had too many early nights. Between her secretarial duties and her gig sidekicking for Oliver's night job, she spent more and more of her evenings holed up either in Oliver's office at Queen Consolidated or in the basement of his club.

Even though Thea was running most of the day to day business at Verdant, Oliver kept up a presence there in order to help his sister. Felicity kept waiting for the day when Thea discovered their secret lair in the basement. But so far she had shown no interest in his comings and goings. The fact that they had a way to enter from outside helped, of course, but she still considered it a risk.

Oliver walked out of his office as she slid her jacket on. "Going home?"

"Yes. You and Diggle are taking a night off from crime fighting, right?"

"Right," he confirmed. "I promised Thea I'd make an appearance at the club. Apparently we have celebrities in town and they'll be stopping by."

"And John has a date. He's being suspiciously cagey about the details though." She'd asked repeatedly only to have John raise a brow in response.

"I think it's his way of teasing you about your incessant curiosity," Oliver said with a smile.

He was leaning against the corner of her desk, and she was momentarily distracted by how handsome he looked. Usually by the end of the day he'd lost his tie and jacket, and he also favored rolling up his shirt sleeves. Today was no exception, and it wasn't the first time she'd caught herself staring at his muscular forearms. _Eyes up_, she reminded herself.

The way he looked at her with just a hint of amusement told her that he'd noticed. She hoped she wasn't blushing. "I'll wear him down eventually. Never underestimate the power of my tongue."

When his brows lifted, she realized how dirty that sounded. "I mean my mouth – with the words, and the way I talk people to death until I find out what I want to know." She was definitely blushing now, and she raised her hand to adjust her glasses in a self-conscious move.

Thankfully, he chose to ignore her unintended innuendo. "So what are your big plans for your night off?"

"Dinner with a friend from college," she answered, glancing at her watch. "Maybe some shopping. Halloween is coming, and we still need costumes for a Halloween party one of her friends is throwing. I could go minus a costume, but her friends belong to a cosplay group, so I'd probably be the only person there _not_ wearing a costume."

"What is a cosplay group?"

"Costume play – you know, where people dress in costumes and role play? Some of those guys won't break character for anything when they're in the role. One of my college boyfriends was very into Star Wars, and I spent an entire weekend with a cosplay group he joined dressed as…"

"Let me guess – the infamous Princess Leia costume?" he asked, referencing the gold costume that had sparked millions of male fantasies.

"Actually, I was an Ewok. It was a very confusing weekend." He laughed, and the sound made her smile. "I'm not into cosplay, but I promised Sabrina I'd go to the party with her."

"Hang on and I'll walk down with you."

He went back into his office to get his jacket and briefcase. As she watched him, Felicity wondered if he enjoyed his nights off. He hadn't been seeing anyone seriously since taking over CEO duties for Queen Consolidated, but she knew there had been a couple of discreet relationships. She thought the current one might be that model he'd been photographed around town with a few times. She knew part of it was about maintaining an image, but she still felt a little pang every now and then. It was silly and she knew it. Felicity might be the girl he turned to for everything else, but she wasn't holding out much hope that he'd suddenly see her as more than a friend.

Oliver stepped aside, allowing her to enter the elevator first before following her in. The ride down seemed to be taking longer than usual, and she found herself staring at the numbers lighting up. Then suddenly the elevator jerked to a halt as the lights went out.

"Whoa." She reached out to steady herself against the elevator wall. "What just happened?"

"I don't know," Oliver said.

"Shouldn't there be an emergency light coming on?" She reached out to feel for the emergency alarm and instead encountered Oliver's chest. "Sorry."

He didn't say anything, but she felt him move nearer. He was close now – so close she could smell his expensive cologne, and she sniffed appreciatively. Felicity stiffened when his hand found her waist and slid down to her hip until she realized he was just trying to move past her to the phone that was somewhere on the wall to her left.

"This is Oliver Queen. What's going on?"

Oliver's hand was still on her hip as he spoke, and it was distracting. She shifted in agitation and then jumped when his fingers squeezed in what he probably thought was a reassuring manner. And it might have been reassuring if she hadn't had fantasies about Oliver in this very elevator.

"Okay, thanks."

She heard a click as he hung up the phone. "There's a blackout that looks like it's affecting the entire downtown area."

Definitely not what she wanted to hear because that meant they had no ETA on a solution. "So there's no way to know how long it will take the power to come back on."

"No, but we do have a generator. They're checking now to see why it didn't turn on when the power went out."

His hand was moving up now. What was he doing? Then it became clear as he grasped her arm and guided her back to the wall. They slid down together and sat in the floor. Felicity toed her shoes off and tried to relax.

"What kind of costume were you thinking of wearing?"

She sighed and leaned her head back against the wall. "I don't know. I like pandas."

"I know."

She was sure they had never discussed her love of pandas. "How?"

"You used to wear those panda flats. But I haven't seen them in a long time."

"Oh." Felicity was surprised he remembered her panda flats. "I still wear them, just not to the office. They're not exactly what people expect Oliver Queen's executive assistant to wear."

"I liked them," Oliver commented.

They were quiet after that, but Felicity was starting to feel agitated. The air was warm, and Oliver's scent seemed to fill the space. She really should find out what kind of cologne he wore. She could spray it in her bedroom and further fuel her Oliver fantasies. Not that they needed fuel.

She'd thought she was getting over her crush for a while. She'd even dated a nice guy named Brad for a couple of months. But they had broken off their relationship recently, and her closeted feelings for Oliver had a maddening way of resurfacing when she was spending all of her free time with him.

As if reading her mind, Oliver said, "Digg mentioned you're not seeing Brad anymore."

"No. But we parted on good terms. We're both too busy, I guess." It was true. She didn't mention that Brad had also been suspicious of how much time she spent with Oliver because it served no purpose. If it came down to it, she'd pick working with Oliver over any other relationship. It was that important to her.

They were quiet again. Just when the silence bordered on uncomfortable, the lights flickered on and the elevator jolted as it once again began its descent.

"Oh thank God." Felicity stood up and stepped back into her shoes. "I kind of hate elevators."

Oliver stood as well. "Well then I'm glad I was with you."

In the lobby, security guards and employees were gathered in front of the flat screen TV mounted on the wall in the waiting area. It was turned to channel 52, and the blonde reporter – Felicity could never remember her name – was reporting.

"_The blackout affected the entire downtown district of Starling City and though it was short, we're receiving reports of looting and shoplifting at many area stores."_

"Wow, the criminal element wastes no time," Felicity said. "We were in the elevator for what? Thirty minutes?"

Oliver glanced at his watch. "Not quite – more like twenty." He squeezed her shoulder as he walked by her to speak to the security guards.

He'd been doing that more often lately – invading her personal space. At first she hadn't even noticed it because the progression had been so natural, and they'd been working together for a while now. The first time it was brought to her attention was when she caught a glimpse of them walking together on a news report. Oliver's hand had been on her back, guiding her as they walked into a downtown restaurant for a business dinner.

Since then she was a lot more aware of it. Hyper aware, actually. She should probably start dating again, or take up a new hobby. The scene on the TV caught her attention and she turned her attention back to the news report.

"_And in breaking news, the blackout also affected the Starling City Police Department and Iron Heights Prison. Reports of a small riot at Iron Heights are coming in now. Kelly Edwards is on the scene at the prison now. Kelly, what can you tell us?"_

"_As you can see, Bethany, it's a little chaotic here. Police, firefighters and EMTs arrived a few minutes ago, and they're bringing out a few injured prison guards. Tear gas was used to subdue the rioters, and I've been told they're all back in their cells."_

Behind the reporter, Felicity could see people milling about. Two EMTs were assisting a woman wrapped in a blanket, and she was surprised to see the woman was Laurel Lance. Felicity knew Laurel worked for the District Attorney's office now, so she supposed she was there on business. Still, the other woman seemed to have the worst luck when it came to being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Oliver had rejoined her, and she knew he must have noticed Laurel when he pulled his phone from his pocket and walked away to make a call. Despite the fact they were supposed to be long over, he had a tendency to run to her aid; yet another reason Felicity tried to control her not so little crush.

Another reporter was on the screen now reporting from the District Attorney's office.

"_Shortly after the lights went out, the DA reported that a fire broke out in their file storage room. At the moment they're uncertain if any files were taken, but they do seem to believe it's related to the blackout."_

"_If the two are related, wouldn't this be classified as an act of cyber terrorism?" Bethany asked_

"_That's exactly what some are calling it, Bethany. One paralegal I spoke to said that she saw a message on her computer just before the blackout – 'This blackout courtesy of Ab501ut3 Cha05.'" The reporter spelled it out. "That appears to be the alias used by the hacker who's taking credit for this event."_

"_Chris Andrews , reporting live from the DA's office," Bethany said. "We'll have more on this developing story coming right up."_

Felicity's hand came up, covering her mouth. She barely acknowledged Oliver when he returned to her side. "What's wrong?"

She turned to him and cleared her throat. "Nothing. Is Laurel okay?"

"Yeah, and I talked to Thea and Diggle. Thea's closing the club for the night, and Digg said things are a mess right now – traffic and everything. It might be better for you to just go home for the night. I can follow you in my car."

She nodded and reached into her bag for her keys.

"And see what you can find out about what happened. Laurel said they're calling it cyber terrorism – someone called 'Absolute Chaos' is taking credit."

"Yeah, okay." She nodded, but a pit opened up in her stomach. She didn't need to research it because she knew exactly who Ab501ut3 Cha05 was. Now the trick was going to be tracking him down so she could figure out how he'd gotten himself into this mess.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Felicity had been home for about an hour when the second blackout occurred, and the same message reported on the news flashed across her screen just before the lights went out. She'd had a feeling there might be another one, so she was ready with candles and a couple of small, battery operated lamps. All of her devices were fully charged, and she had also recharged her portable charge packs. Since she was using the QC satellite Internet hookup, her Internet access wasn't affected.

It was a few minutes later that she heard a sound coming from her bedroom, and with horror she realized someone was opening the window that led to her fire escape. With the power out her alarm system wasn't working, and she recalled the earlier looting and theft in the city. Or could it be Oliver?

It wasn't the first time he'd shown up on her fire escape. He'd done it once before after being injured while on Arrow duty. Her apartment had been closer than Verdant, and she'd been guiding him to the crime hotspots from home that night. She pulled out her phone, noting with dismay that there was no signal.

So she grabbed the baseball bat from her hall closet and waited. When the shadowy figure emerged from her room, she knew right away it wasn't Oliver. Screaming, she turned and ran for her front door only to be caught before she reached it. She thrust her elbow back and heard a grunt before her assailant released her, and she lunged for the door again.

"Felicity, stop!"

The voice was familiar. She turned, still panting from her panic and exertion. "Josh?"

In the candlelight, she could see now that it was Josh Gallagher. Or as he was better known that night, Ab501ut3 Cha05. Suddenly, she was angry and responded by using her bat to hit him in the back of the knees just as Oliver had taught her. Josh went down with a groan.

"Ow!" He glared up at her. "When the hell did you become so violent?"

Felicity glared back. "I don't know – maybe at the same time you became a cyber-terrorist who climbs through bedroom windows!"

"Jesus – like I'm gonna hurt you." He stood up gingerly. "Maybe you could put the freaking bat down now."

She sighed and put the bat by her door. "What are you doing here?"

"I need your help."

"Yeah I'll bet – you're going to have the FBI, the NSA, and probably agencies we don't even know about at your door in a few days. Cyber terrorism – really? I mean I knew you were anti-establishment, but you did something tonight that got people hurt. Why should I help you?"

"Because I didn't do it!" he protested, still holding his ribs as he hobbled over to her sofa. Of medium height and build with shaggy brown hair, hazel eyes and wire rimmed glasses, Josh wasn't very intimidating. But then after being around Diggle and Oliver all the time, most men weren't anymore.

Felicity sat in the armchair facing the sofa. "Then who did? And why are they using your alias?"

Josh leaned forward, his expression earnest in the candlelight. "Look, I admit I wrote the code for the blackout, but it was supposed to be a corporate prank, not a city wide event. The idea was to hit a different corporation every day for a week – and I wasn't even going to shut things down for a whole day, more like a few hours. Just long enough to get their attention."

"What kinds of corporations?" Although she had a feeling she knew.

"The kinds that hold a lot of private information and government contracts. We're entrusting them with a lot of data, some of it top secret, and it's a hell of a lot easier to get in sometimes than people think it is."

"Corporations like Queen Consolidated then," Felicity guessed. They held quite a few government defense contracts, and the applied sciences division was working on technology for a number of top secret projects."

"Yeah, but uh – I was actually having trouble getting past their firewall." He looked disgruntled by that admission.

"Probably because I wrote the code," she told him with a hint of smugness.

"I figured. I've seen you on TV, so I knew you were working there. Going to work for the man is one thing, Felicity, but I never thought I'd see you being some rich jerk's glorified secretary. I mean, you used to be a hacker – one of the best. What happened to you?"

"So you thought you'd get me to help you by insulting me? Great plan. Let me know how that works out when the men in black show up to haul your ass into an underground detention center." She pointed to the door.

"No – look, I'm sorry." He held his hands up in an appeasing gesture. "But you have to admit executive assistant was never on your career path. You can't blame me for wondering how that happened."

"For your information, I'm still a hacker for the greater good. I just don't advertise my work. And I'm working for Oliver Queen because he is genuinely trying to make a difference in this city, and I believe in that enough to help him do it. But I'm not just an executive assistant – I'm also a technology consultant, and I help him navigate the ins and outs of the tech world." She did a lot more than that, but that was as much as she could tell Josh.

"I was hoping I could get you to advertise some of your work this week."

"Why? And by doing what? I'm not really eager to join you in that underground detention center."

He leaned forward. "I wasn't working on this alone. Ever heard of Isamu Hayashi?" When she shook her head, he continued. "He was a grad student at Harvard, but he dropped out and started writing code for anyone who can pay. In the hacking world, he's called Neuromancer – you know, like the book."

Now _him_ she'd heard of. "You wrote the code with Neuromancer? It's been a while since I spent any time in the forums, but I remember most of his pranks were pretty malicious."

"He's not strictly black hat," Josh insisted. "Or at least, he wasn't. Now I'm not so sure."

"Okay, so Neuromancer hijacked your code for malicious use. To what end? What's he gaining from this?"

"I think someone paid him to coordinate the blackouts, but he couldn't have done it alone. He hijacked my code and altered it to affect the power grid, but there's also been some cell service interruptions – like now." He held up his phone. "Want to take a guess which phreak of our acquaintance might be helping him?"

"Grace Chan." She was the only hacker Felicity had ever met who enjoyed messing with the phone system. "But why would she do it?"

"Money, obviously. She still has that little snorting problem." He tapped his nose. "And I've heard rumors that she's tied to the Triad now."

Felicity considered the problem. "You want us to work together to write a code that can block the blackouts – create a cyber-war between two hackers and then wait for them to approach me so we can see what they're really up to." It would probably work, but there were obvious risks.

"Exactly. Then I take that evidence to the FBI or whoever, and I'm off the hook – at least for cyber terrorism. We don't have to tell them who you are. Hell, I hope I don't have to tell them who I am either. If we can show that the real bad guys are the Triad or Hayashi, they'll probably lose interest in identifying Ab501ut3 Cha05. I never gave Sam my real name when we talked code. Grace knows me, obviously a potential problem, but there is some honor among hackers. Besides, I know things about her – it makes us even. And I don't think she'd ever guess I'd come to you, especially since you've been out of the hacking game for a few years."

_If only he knew_, she thought. If she did this, she'd need time off work because it would take days to write the kind of code Josh was talking about. She also couldn't tell Oliver the real reason she needed time off since the blackout had affected the sainted Laurel. She doubted he'd be particularly objective about helping her friend. "We're better than Grace – both of us."

"Exactly. Hayashi hangs out in a cyber-goth club called Anno near the Glades – it's kind of underground, members only. But once your work is out there, you can score an invite. And he really likes blondes, so I'm pretty sure he'll come to you if he sees you. We'll just have to goth up your image a little."

She'd seen pictures of cyber goth fashion before, but she'd certainly never imagined wearing it. "I'm going to look ridiculous. Also, I draw the line at gas masks and aviator glasses."

"I think you're going to look hot." He grinned mischievously. "And you don't have to go full-on with it – just enough to fit the scene and get his attention."

Just then the lights came back on, and they both blinked in the sudden brightness.

Felicity sighed again. "Fine. I'll help you. I'll have to take a few days off from work, which means I need to call my boss."

As she reached for her phone, it rang. Glancing at the display, she saw it was Oliver. "Speak of the devil." She answered. "I was just about to call you."

"Is everything okay?" Oliver's tone was slightly worried, and she wondered what else had been going on.

"Yes, everything's fine here. Uhm – actually, I wanted to ask about taking a few personal days next week."

"A few personal days," he repeated. "Why?"

"Because I have some personal things to take care of – hence the request for personal days. I can work on business related things from home if you absolutely need me. And I'll arrange for a temp."

Oliver was silent for a minute. "I'm actually in front of your building. I'll be up in a minute."

He hung up before she could say anything else. "Okay, so, apparently my boss is on his way up. You need to hide somewhere."

Josh raised a brow. "Why do I need to hide? Can't we just say I'm an old boyfriend or something?"

"No, we cannot say that." Even if it was true. Though Josh had been her first everything, it still felt like a million years ago. "It would invite questions."

"So your boss visits you at home and asks questions about your personal life? Sounds like something a lot more _personal_ is going on between you two."

"We're also friends; not that it's your business. But I meant it would invite questions if they manage to identify you and circulate your photo this week."

"I don't think that's the way the men in black operate," he joked.

"You hope," she muttered.

They heard a knock at the door, and Josh went back to her bedroom and closed the door.

Felicity opened the door. "Why were you outside my building?"

Oliver walked past her into the living room and glanced around as if looking for something. "Because I wanted to make sure you were okay. With the blackout and the cell service interruptions, I couldn't reach you."

"Oh. Well, thanks for that. Now, about my personal days…"

"Felicity, what aren't you telling me?"

He was focused on her completely as he spoke – the straight-on Oliver Queen effect. She wondered if he meant to be intimidating when he did that or if he even realized how intimidating it was. "What do you mean?"

"Who else is here?"

How did he do that? She crossed her arms and lifted her chin stubbornly. "How do you know anyone else is here?"

"Because your bedroom door is closed," he answered. "You never close your bedroom door."

"Okay, yes, I have company. He's an old friend, and I can assure he's harmless. And since I have never, in the entire time I've worked for you, asked for so much as a sick day, I would appreciate you dropping the inquisition. All I need is a yes or no." Her words were more abrupt now, and she softened her tone. "Please. I wouldn't ask if it weren't important."

"The business we discussed earlier is also important," he said. After a moment, he shoved his hands in his pockets and sighed. "Okay. Is a week enough?"

Felicity nodded. "Probably. If I need more time, I'll let you know. And I'll keep working on what we talked about earlier." That was not a lie since she really would be working on the blackout problem.

"And you're not in trouble?"

"If I were in trouble, I would tell you." Also true, but this wasn't just about her. She owed it to Josh to keep his confidence until they could figure out what was going on.

"Alright. Here." He handed her a phone. "It's a satellite phone so we don't lose touch again if cell service is down. I'll check in with you tomorrow."

With that he was gone, and Felicity breathed a sigh of relief. "You can come out now."

Josh opened her bedroom door and walked back into the living room. "He's kind of intense."

She laughed. "You have no idea."

Looking at her speculatively, he asked, "And there's really nothing going on between you?"

"Like I said, we're friends. Now, I suggest we find a delivery place that's still open and get to work." They had a lot of hours of coding ahead of them, so it was bound to be a long weekend.

* * *

By Monday, they had written a very complex code that Felicity was sure would work whenever the next blackout hit. Josh thought it would probably be soon since the weekend had been quiet. And by Monday afternoon, Josh was proved correct.

The blackout hit at 3:00 pm and when it did, Felicity was ready. She hit back, and within five minutes she had the grid back up accompanied by her own message. 'Smackdown, Ab501ut3 Cha05. You're up. The Oracle.'

She held out her hand, and Josh slapped it. "Hell, yeah. I bet they're pissed right now."

Felicity pushed her glasses up and grinned. "I sort of forgot what a rush it is."

"Well, Oracle, how do you feel about hacking Channel 52? You ready?"

By Tuesday night, Felicity and Josh were involved in all out cyber war. Felicity routed the city's traffic cameras to broadcast on Channel 52 with the message 'Oracle Is Watching' and her adversary responded by taking the channel offline. But he only managed to have it offline for about five minutes before she blocked him and had 52 on air again.

She'd gotten into both the SCPD's and the FBI's websites and swapped photos of the most wanted criminals with cartoon character gifs, mostly for showmanship. Then she hijacked JumboTrons around the city before extending her reach to Coast City, Gotham and Metropolis. The hacker community message boards all lit up with a single question – who is Oracle?

When all the telecommunications were taken down at the District Attorney's office, Felicity got them back up 'Courtesy of Oracle.' Then the cell towers were hit again. Felicity figured it was probably Grace manning that hack, and she let her think she'd won for about ten minutes before she kicked her out of the system.

The press was going crazy, and the city's leaders weren't sure whether to call Oracle friend or foe. After all, she'd been fighting their battles for them all week, but she'd also created some minor mischief of her own. Laurel took a different stance, which didn't really surprise Felicity. She gave endless speeches about how she intended to prosecute both parties.

"She always looks like she has a giant stick up her ass," Josh observed as they ate pizza while watching the evening news. "She used to date your boss, right? Before he was a castaway."

That made her smile. "She's okay I guess. Definitely not a laugh a minute, though. I like her father better."

"Well, since I'm the only one who knows you ever used the alias Oracle, I think you're safe. Even if they catch me, I won't out you."

Felicity had used the alias at university when she'd temporarily taken up hacktivism with Josh, but she'd only ever used it on a small scale. Certainly she'd never called attention to her hacking in the manner she had this week. When one of the message boards lit up, Felicity saw that it was a message for Oracle. It took her about two minutes to decode.

"Looks like I have my invitation to Anno and the password."

"They change the password every few days, so that one is probably only good until about Friday," Josh told her. He reached behind him to the bags of clothes, makeup and hair extensions Felicity had bought earlier that day. "Dress up time. Better practice tonight so you'll be ready for tomorrow. You are going to look _hot_."

She rolled her eyes. "I'll take your word for it."

* * *

Diggle thought he was imagining things at first. A mini cooper just like Felicity's pulled up alongside his car, but the driver definitely didn't look like Felicity. He immediately fell back to check the license plate.

"Problem?" Lyla asked.

"That car belongs to a friend of mine, but take a look at the driver."

"Not your friend?"

He laughed. "No."

"Stolen?"

He didn't answer, instead following the car until it pulled into a slot across from a series of cafes. The woman got out, locked the door, and waited to cross the street. Diggle and Lyla both got out and walked closer to the woman who was obviously dressed for Halloween, albeit strangely.

She raised her hand to wave at a man across the street, and Diggle's eyes narrowed as he caught a good look at her profile for the first time. _What the hell?_ "Felicity?"

The woman turned, and he couldn't believe it was actually her. She wore a tight bustier and a very short skirt that he would never have imagined her wearing. Then there was the matter of her hair and makeup. She glanced over her shoulder, and he saw the man she'd waved at slipping away.

Felicity smiled and gave a little wave. "Hi. I just came from a party. A costume party, obviously. There was a theme." She tugged at her skirt self-consciously as if she could lengthen it.

_Bullshit_. "Is that a nose ring?"

Her hand flew to her nose. "Oh – yeah. But it's not real." She unclipped it and held it up. "See?"

"I see your friend didn't stick around," he commented. "What are you really up to, Felicity?"

"I'm… nothing. You know, just enjoying my time off. Not that I asked for time off so I could party all week, obviously. I had important… stuff. Personal things, so that's why I needed the personal days. So how about we just don't mention this to Oliver?"

She was downright nervous now, and every one of his instincts went on alert. He turned to Lyla. "Would you give us a minute?"

Lyla raised a brow in amusement at his big brother routine. "Sure."

Diggle turned back to Felicity. "Truth."

"I am telling the truth. I had an invitation to a specific kind of club, and this is the dress code." Her voice was stronger now, but she still wasn't leveling with him.

"Okay." He crossed his arms. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why would you go to a specific kind of club with that kind of dress code? That's not like you."

She tapped her hand against her thigh, yet another tell that something was not right. "My friend…"

"You mean the one who took off when he saw me?"

Clearing her throat, Felicity swallowed. "Look, I'm helping him with something, okay? It's not a big deal, and it's my business."

The fact that she was being so secretive told him it was a very big deal. "Then why not let us help?"

"Because you can't help." She glanced behind her again. "I promise I'm fine. You should go back to your date, and I'm just going to head home." She waved, got back into her car, and left.

Diggle stared after her as Lyla walked over to join him again. "I take it that was Mr. Queen's executive assistant. Felicity, right?"

"Yeah. She took some personal time this week, but something's not right."

"Didn't you tell me she used to work in the IT department?" At his nod, she said, "Then it might interest you to know that there's a subculture of hackers who dress like that – they call it cyber goth. If I had to guess, I'd say she was at one of the underground clubs tonight."

And Starling City had been under cyber-attack since Friday – the same day Felicity asked for time off. That couldn't be a coincidence. After dropping Lyla off, Diggle drove to Verdant to look for Oliver. He found him on the club floor with Thea.

At Diggle's nod, Oliver excused himself and joined him near the bar. "Something wrong?"

"Yes. I think Felicity is investigating the blackouts on her own." He held out his phone to show Oliver the photo he'd snapped of her.

Oliver took the phone. "Who is this?"

"Believe it or not, that was how Felicity was dressed when I saw her less than an hour ago."

Oliver's brows flew up. "This is Felicity? Where was she?"

Diggle explained what Lyla had told him, and Oliver's expression grew angrier by the minute. "She told me she wasn't in trouble. Why would she lie?"

"I think it has something to do with that friend she mentioned. She was meeting him when she saw me, and he took off. I think he's the one in trouble. And her hanging out in underground hacker clubs while the city is dealing with a hacking nightmare is not a coincidence."

Oliver looked back at the photo. "No, it's not."

* * *

Oliver waited in the darkness of Felicity's bedroom, brooding about how to handle things with Felicity. She had a lot of explaining to do.

Dressed as the vigilante, he'd followed her earlier that night to a club called Anno. She'd been smarter and taken a cab this time, but tailing her had been easy. Still, if he hadn't seen the photo, he probably wouldn't have recognized her.

She had added red and black extensions to her hair, pulling it back on the sides to reveal black crystals pasted along her cheekbones. Her face was pale, but her eyes stood out against red and black shadows. Her lips and nails were black to match the bustier she wore, and the minuscule skirt was red and black. She wore black and silver fishnets over red and black knee socks with the same boots she'd had on in the photo.

All in all, not very Felicity-like. She'd obviously lied to him, and he was angry. According to Diggle's friend Lyla, they had some evidence that the Triad hired someone to coordinate the blackouts. The idea that Felicity was investigating something on her own that might be connected to the Triad scared the hell out of him.

She'd stayed in the club for a very long two hours. When she emerged, she hadn't been alone, either. A tall man who looked to be of mixed Asian and Caucasian descent had followed her out, and he'd been very amorous. Before she left, he kissed her. After he returned to the club, Felicity wiped her mouth, clearly not happy with his attentions. She was putting herself in situations she wasn't comfortable with – potentially scary and dangerous situations. That made him angry, as well.

Next, Oliver had followed her to a cyber café where she met another man. He assumed this was the mysterious friend in need and wondered about his connection to Felicity. He must be a good friend if she was willing to lie to people for him.

He heard her front door open, followed by a beep that indicated the alarm had been reset. Then he heard the sounds of her shuffling around the living room for a moment before she made her way down the hall. She didn't immediately turn the light on, instead bending down to pull off her boots and toss then towards her walk-in closet. Then she went into the bathroom.

She hadn't even noticed someone sitting in her bedroom. He shook his head, wiping his hands down his face and folding them under his chin. And she wondered why he and Diggle worried so much about her.

Thirty minutes later, the shower turned off and she emerged wearing a bathrobe and drying her hair with a towel. And still she didn't notice him. So when she turned on the light and finally saw him sitting in the chair by her window, she shrieked.

"Oh my God – Oliver. How long have you been there?"

"Since you came in," he replied shortly.

She threw the towel into the hamper and took a deep breath. "You know, the keys I gave you and Diggle are for emergencies, not so you can wait for me in my dark bedroom like a creepy, hooded stalker." When he didn't say anything, she asked, "What are you doing here, anyway?"

Was she serious? "What do you think I'm doing here?"

"Diggle told you." She sighed, picking her hairbrush up and brushing her hair with swift strokes. "He's worse than my grandmother."

Oliver stood up and walked over to her. "You lied to me."

"No, I didn't. I just didn't tell you everything."

"Why?" That was the thing that upset him the most. He just didn't understand why she wouldn't tell him. "I followed you tonight, Felicity. I know you're investigating the blackouts. So I want to know why you didn't tell me what you were doing."

"Because of Laurel, alright?" Now she sounded angry, and she tossed her hairbrush on the bed.

"What the hell does any of this have to do with Laurel?" he asked, exasperated.

"I didn't think you could be objective after she got hurt at Iron Heights. And the hacking world is different from the criminals you deal with Oliver. But me? I fit in there, costumes notwithstanding."

He took a deep breath, reminding himself not to yell. "Your friend is Ab501ut3 Cha05, isn't he? That's what you're hiding."

Felicity deflated a little, looking tired all of a sudden. "Yes, but he's not responsible for the blackouts. Another hacker stole his code and modified it, obviously with some help."

"And you thought that because Laurel got caught in the prison riot, I'd take her side." Oliver knew he'd been guilty of wearing Laurel blinders in the past, but he'd thought he, Felicity and Diggle had moved past that initial mistrust. "You didn't trust me to back you up."

"I guess, but it sounds worse when you say it like that. I do trust you, you know." She walked over to her bed and sat down. "Can we talk about this tomorrow? I'm tired, and it hasn't been the greatest night."

When she raised her hand and brushed it across her lips, he knew she was thinking about the guy kissing her outside Anno. Oliver could admit, at least to himself, that watching another man kiss her had upset him. He wasn't sure if it was the specific situation or if he'd react the same way in any situation where he saw her with someone else. All he knew was that lately, he found himself thinking about her more often.

So he didn't overthink it; he just reached for her hand, pulled her up, and kissed her. It was slow and sweet, and he thought maybe he should have done it before now. When he pulled back, he said, "I'll sleep on the sofa and we'll talk in the morning."

At the doorway her voice stopped him. "Why did you do that?"

Turning to look back at her, he replied, "Because I saw that guy kiss you. I didn't want that kiss to be the last thing you thought about tonight. I'll see you in the morning."

He sent Diggle a text asking him to bring clothes for him in the morning and settled on her sofa. Felicity definitely had a lot to explain, but she'd given him some things to think about, too. He hoped the morning would provide some answers.

**A/N: Thanks for the great response this story has had so far! I'll hopefully get around to responding to reviews soon. I didn't expect to have this up so soon, but I was stuck on editing another story and switched to editing this one. It happened to get done first. The next one will likely be a few days, but you probably have a good idea of where we're heading now. Felicity has some splainin' to do, and they both have some thinking to do about their feelings. Also, I want to mention I am not personally familiar with the hacking subculture portrayed in this story, but I did research it. I have a friend who has participated in cyber goth, and she answered some questions as well. Any mistakes are my own.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N - One thing I want to mention relating to this story – a few people commented that they wished it were not an Olicity romance. If that's not your thing, that's fair. I know some people are Felicity fans but not Olicity fans. But then I would urge you not to click on stories that are clearly marked in the 'Romance' category. My author note at the beginning also indicated the story would end with an Olicity pairing, so I honestly feel that complaining about the ship I've chosen (and been very clear about IMO) is unfair. That would be like me clicking on a Lauriver romance story and then complaining when things take a romantic turn. I probably will write some Olicity friendship fics at some point (maybe one shots) but then they'll clearly be marked in the 'Friendship' category. Anything marked 'Romance' though – you can be sure it's an Olicity romance because that's how I roll. So here's your chance to back out if you're not an Oliciter – for everyone else, there is hacking, flirting and hints of romance ahead! **

**Chapter 3**

Felicity was so wired after Oliver left her bedroom that she thought she probably wouldn't sleep. And she had lain awake for a few hours, fingers on her lips, wondering what the hell had just happened. Oliver said he didn't want Sam kissing her to be the last thing she thought about. Well - mission accomplished. She barely recalled Sam at all.

Instead she'd spent hours reliving Oliver's kiss – the way his stubble brushed her skin, the surprising softness of his lips, and just the sweetness of it all. Because it hadn't been passionate as she'd always assumed kissing Oliver would be. It had been almost experimental; new and tentative but also decisive and strangely familiar.

She shouldn't have been so affected by it. It wasn't even their first kiss.

"_Seriously, would it kill rich people to have finger foods bigger than my pinky?" Felicity grumbled as she snagged a tiny crab cake from a passing waiter. She popped it into her mouth and chased it with a sip of very expensive red wine that she'd love to be able to afford. "You owe me Chinese after this. I mean, we are in Beijing."_

"_Just don't expect it to be like Chinese food at home or you'll be disappointed," Oliver replied, eyes on their target. "Fortune cookies are an American invention. Although I suppose we could find the more traditional fare in Chinatown."_

_Felicity raised a brow. "Beijing has a Chinatown? That lacks creativity."_

_He turned to her and smiled. "It's a tourist trap." He leaned closer and trailed his fingers down her arm, his lips brushing her ear. "But if you want to get creative, we could walk the side streets and check out the street vendors and neighborhood restaurants."_

_Breathe, Felicity. It's part of the cover_,_ she told herself. Or maybe don't breathe – damn it. Why does he have to smell so good?_

_She swallowed down the butterflies threatening to erupt and tilted her head to get a look at the target – one Michael Sandler, a prominent businessman from Coast City whom she'd discovered also laundered money for the Triad. And after realizing he was headed to Beijing for business, Oliver had set up a meeting with a technology company there. _

_China's business world was definitely influenced by their patriarchal society, though, and Oliver had claimed a relationship with Felicity in order to deflect an invitation to a local bath house that was also a high end brothel. All of which explained their current and very cozy circumstances. Oliver had finagled an invitation to a party they knew Sandler would attend, and now they were waiting to see who he made contact with. Any new names would be a new trail for Felicity to follow in their attempts to oust the Triad from Starling City._

_Since several of the men who'd been in meetings with Oliver all week were also at the party, she and Oliver were playing their roles, which also served to keep the other men at a distance. It was definitely something she preferred given that one or two had been particularly handsy when Oliver wasn't looking. _

_She leaned into him and smiled, lowering her voice. "What did you have in mind?" Had his lips just brushed her neck? She shivered, an involuntary response she had all too often in his presence._

_He pulled back just enough to meet her gaze, his blue eyes locking with hers. Smirking, he said, "Deep fried scorpions, snake rolls, tarantula on a stick, sea horse on a stick, and my personal favorite – chocolate covered grasshoppers."_

_She couldn't help laughing. He wasn't paying any attention to their target in that moment and neither was she. She was way too busy wondering how it would feel to kiss him. So she did._

_It was brief, over before he could react. But the bemused look on his face said a lot. "That was… unexpected."_

"_It can't be all about the eye-sex if we're selling this," she'd offered by way of explanation, fighting the blush creeping into her cheeks._

They'd never talked about that kiss. Sandler had met up with a known member of the Triad minutes later, and their attention had been diverted. Felicity figured Oliver was glad of the distraction because he'd made it clear last year, after Isabel and Russia, that he didn't have it in him to commit to a relationship with someone he could have real feelings for. Not then, anyway. She honestly wondered if he'd ever be ready.

Rather than slide down that rabbit hole again, she'd begun dating Brad. Other than her flirtation with Barry Allen any time he sped through town, Brad was the first person she'd seriously dated since meeting Oliver two years earlier, and her brooding hero hadn't taken it very well.

At the time, she'd likened it to the same reaction he had to Barry – jealousy, but only in the sense that he was used to having her undivided attention. Between their work in the office and work in the lair, they were practically married. Thea had even called her his 'work wife' one evening when they dropped by the club to pick up some paperwork that Thea wasn't old enough to sign.

Now she wondered, and it wasn't a topic she wanted to be wondering about because this was Oliver, and whatever she came up with would likely be off the mark. Therefore, it was better to ignore the kiss from last night the same way they'd ignored the kiss in Beijing.

Feeling better, she got up, showered and dressed in comfortable jeans and a loose knit, deep blue V-neck sweater that she knew brought out her eyes. Then she applied minimal makeup and brushed her hair, gathering it into her trademark ponytail before changing her mind and leaving it down.

When she walked into her living room, Diggle was there. "What, no nose ring this morning?"

She raised her brows and crossed her arms. "Traitor."

"Partner," Diggle corrected her. "That's what we are, and partners look out for each other. You can't tell me you wouldn't have done the same if you thought I was winging it alone in a dangerous situation."

Okay, he had a point. "So I guess you want an explanation?"

"First, I want to change," Oliver said, grabbing the bag Diggle had carried in and heading back to her bedroom.

"And I'm on a mission this morning – breakfast. Any requests?" Diggle asked.

"Egg McMuffin," she replied. "And hashbrowns."

"Just so you know, I'm going to add forty-five minutes to our workout to make up for it."

She grimaced, knowing he wasn't joking. While she'd never be a fighter, Diggle and Oliver had made an effort to teach her how to hold her own, at least long enough to make a getaway. Oliver's determination to keep her out of the field had been a bone of contention between them ever since he'd killed the Count, and her more frequent workouts with Diggle and, occasionally, Oliver were her way of proving she could handle herself.

She called out to him as he opened the door. "And get two – Josh is coming over this morning."

She could hear her shower running and tried very hard not to imagine Oliver naked in there. It wasn't the first time he'd been in her apartment. It wasn't even the first time he'd showered there. It was, however, the first time he'd slept there, and it made everything seem different. She went into the kitchen and started the coffee before checking to see what kind of fruit she had.

The shower turned off and she could picture him moving around her small bathroom, towel wrapped around his hips. She knew from the last time he'd showered there that her entire bathroom would smell like his soap, shampoo and aftershave, and it would smell amazing. She silently cursed the fact that she and Brad were over because those months had made her apartment an Oliver-free zone for the most part. He had dropped by unexpectedly once but quickly realized the awkward position it put her in, and there hadn't been a repeat.

Just as the coffee was finished brewing, she heard a knock at her door. She glanced out the peephole to make sure it was Josh before opening it. "Hey."

Josh walked in and dropped his laptop on the sofa before pulling off his jacket. "Are you hungry? I figured we could go out for breakfast before we get started."

"Uhm, actually…" she paused when she heard her bedroom door open.

"My driver is picking up breakfast," Oliver said as he walked down the hall from her bedroom. His hair was still damp, and the bag he carried made it clear that he'd spent the night.

When Felicity glanced back at Josh, his brows had climbed clear into his hairline. "Josh, this is Oliver. Oliver, Josh. He's an old friend from college."

Josh looked at her and muttered, "Your definition of friend needs some work."

She knew it was a crack on her earlier comment that she and Oliver were just friends, but Oliver seemed to take it in a different way. Knowing there was no way to salvage that comment without making it even more awkward, she said, "John – the guy you saw me talking to last night – is Oliver's driver and bodyguard. He's picking up breakfast for us."

Oliver had moved to stand closer to her, and she felt the fingers of his left hand brush against her hip as he spoke. "So you're Felicity's – friend. I'm assuming playing dress up and going into cyber clubs to investigate the blackout was your idea?"

"You told him? Nice. Are the cops coming next?" Josh looked disgruntled and eyed Oliver suspiciously.

"Oliver didn't call the cops, Josh. And I haven't really told him anything yet – I mean, not all of it."

"I guess the big guy told him?"

"The 'big guy' was worried that Felicity was in trouble," Oliver said, his voice borderline hostile. "And he's not the only one."

Great. Pissy Oliver was usually not in the mood to listen, and she needed him and Diggle to listen to reason now that they were involved. "Oliver, before you get all grumpy about this, I think we should talk about it and you should hear all of it."

Just then the lights flickered and went out. Oliver reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. "No signal again. Have you had any luck tracking down the other hacker – I think he's calling himself Oracle."

Felicity was already busy with her laptop and logging into the Queen Consolidated satellite server, but she took a moment to shoot Oliver a look. "I like how you assume Oracle is a man. Have you learned nothing by working with me?"

"So I take it you know who Oracle is?" Oliver countered.

Josh snorted and muttered something that sounded like 'misogynist tool' which earned him a glare from Oliver. "Dude – _she's_ Oracle. Has been since our university days of hacking companies just like yours. Guess you don't know everything about her, huh?"

Sighing, she ignored both of them – difficult since she could practically feel Oliver staring at her. Thankfully Diggle arrived and broke the mounting tension.

Diggle seemed to sense the unspoken hostility that had sprung up between Oliver and Josh. "Breakfast – Black Driver's been busy this morning."

Felicity grinned at Diggle and Oliver laughed, though she noticed Josh looking at them all like they were crazy.

"So what did I miss?" Diggle asked as he set his bags down on the table.

"Felicity is apparently responsible for hijacking the JumboTrons and taking over Channel 52," Oliver told him. "She's had a busy week."

Diggle turned to Felicity, surprised. "You're Oracle?"

Throwing up her hands, she said, "Why is that such a surprise? Honestly, I half expected one of you to come knocking after I asked for personal days at the same time there was a new hacker making headlines. Seriously – what _does_ it take to impress you guys?"

"It occurred to Diggle that we should ask you about it," Oliver replied evenly. "But I was sure that you would have told me if you were involved in something like that, or even if you knew who was."

Ouch – burn. Felicity bit her lip and looked back at him uncertainly. He was a lot more upset about her decision to go this one alone than she'd realized. She turned her attention back to her computer and got to work as she hacked into the power grid. "He's modified the code again."

Josh scooted closer to her so he could see her screen. "Try the one we wrote last night."

Felicity's fingers flew across the keyboard. "Nope." She pulled up the code and they both studied it in silence for a moment.

"Maybe we can add a line here," Josh pointed out the spot on the screen. "Remember that time we…"

"…hacked the petroleum plant polluting Lake Reed? That was beautiful," she finished with a smile. "I'll just try this… and this."

She worked quietly for a few minutes with Josh occasionally interrupting to point to a line of code they should modify. Finally he said, "That should do it. Try again."

Five minutes later, Neuromancer was booted. The lights flickered back on, and Oliver confirmed there was a signal on his phone again. Felicity stood up and high fived Josh.

"Man, I should have looked you up before now," he commented. "We write beautiful code together. Why did we break up again?"

"As I recall, you were easily swayed from my 'code' by Jennifer Thomas' short skirts and cleavage," she returned mildly. "I got the 'it's not you, it's me' speech."

Josh scratched his head sheepishly. "Oh yeah – I was young and stupid?"

She rolled her eyes, still smiling as she looked at Oliver. He was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, watching her with an unreadable expression. Sighing, she walked over and grabbed his hand, pulling him into the kitchen behind her for some privacy. "Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I realize now that I probably should have, but I really was concerned that you might not help the situation."

When he didn't say anything, she busied herself with retrieving cups and pouring the coffee, aware of the charged atmosphere in the room. It made her want to talk - about anything, really. But she'd long learned that it was best not to fill that silence with idle chatter if she really wanted Oliver to open up.

She finished pouring the coffee and turned to the refrigerator to get the cream only to find that Oliver was already holding it out for her. "Oh… thanks." Eyeing his wardrobe choice – jeans and a dark blue-gray button-up shirt – she asked, "Don't you have to be in the office?"

"I told them I'm working from home today."

Hmm. "That means you're planning to work from here, doesn't it?"

"I want to know what's going on, and I'm not comfortable leaving you with Josh because I'm not sure he can be trusted – not when it comes to your safety."

Picking up two of the mugs, she waited for him to get the other two and follow her back into the living room. Josh and Diggle were already setting out the food. Placing the coffee on the table, she went back to the kitchen for juice and fruit, aware that Oliver was right behind her.

"I admit that I pulled the Oracle stunts to get Neuromancer's attention. I needed an invitation to Anno, and that was one way of getting it. But he doesn't actually know I'm Oracle – he suspects it, but he's mostly interested in me because he likes blondes." She could practically _hear_ Oliver's jaw twitching as she picked up the orange juice and waited for Oliver to grab the small fruit tray she'd picked up the day before.

"You made yourself a target, Felicity. That's not okay."

They were back at the table now and Felicity set the juice down and sat in the chair Oliver pulled out for her. "I don't think Sam is dangerous in that way – he's mostly just handsy."

"That doesn't make me feel any better," Oliver said, shooting her a look. "Who the hell is this guy, anyway?"

"Isamu Hayashi," Josh answered. "He's brilliant and a natural when it comes to coding. He goes by Neuromancer online and he's pretty much a hacker-for-hire these days."

"What's his endgame?" Diggle asked.

Felicity shook her head, swallowing her bite of food before answering. "We think that these blackouts are a way of testing the city's emergency response time, but we don't know why. I mean, they've been at different times of the day, and creating chaos at the police department was another way of ensuring that their attention might be turned elsewhere. So far we know they've specifically targeted the DA's office, and the fire in their records room could have been related. They have no way of knowing what might have been taken."

"That's not exactly true," Oliver told her. "When I had lunch with Laurel on Monday, she mentioned that she's pretty sure some case files were taken for an upcoming trial – the State vs. Cecily Hunter case."

Felicity propped her chin on her hand as she considered this new information. "She's accused of running a high end escort business with a drug connection, right? So maybe she's also connected to the Triad since we think it's possible that's who's paying Sam. We're pretty sure he's working with a hacker we used to know – Grace Chan. She's probably responsible for the hacks on the cell towers since that's her thing. Josh said she's still got a drug problem and last he heard, she was connected to the Triad somehow."

"And yet you still thought it was a good idea to go into that club alone?"

Oliver's tone was definitely veering into 'grr-argh' territory now. "Oliver, Sam doesn't know I'm Oracle, and I'm not planning to tell him."

"But you said he suspects."

"Maybe, but he seems way more interested in my body than my brains – first time for everything even if there is an ick factor there."

There was a definite twitch in Oliver's jaw at that. "If you go back in, I'm going with you."

Josh snorted with amusement. "Yeah, you'll fit right in Mr. Queen."

Felicity jumped in before Oliver could. "He's right Oliver – I can fit in, but there's no way Oliver Queen would be caught dead in a place like that. And that's the tech world, so your face is recognizable there. I don't have time to scrub photos of you in a cyber-goth club from the tabloid sites this weekend – I'm a little busy trying to stop the cyber terrorists turning off the lights."

"What about Lyla?" Diggle offered.

"Lyla has that same soldier vibe you give off – I don't think it would work," she said. "And Sam knows Josh, so he's out."

"You're not going back in there alone." The finality in Oliver's voice irritated her.

Felicity stood up, grabbed Oliver's hand, and pulled him back into the kitchen. "You have been treating me like I'm made of glass for months now, Oliver. I'm okay with you and Diggle being nearby in case I need backup, but you have to concede that my plan is the best one presented so far."

"Why do you even need to go back in there?"

"Because Sam's kind of an idiot when it comes to women," she said. "He drops information here and there when we're talking code. He's doing it to impress me. He basically admitted to being Neuromancer and I'm pretty sure if he could be certain I was Oracle, he'd be offering me a job – and possibly proposing marriage."

"And what if you were followed? Diggle followed you in your car and you didn't notice. I followed you last night. They could easily have had someone following you."

"Obviously not last night or you would have noticed," she pointed out. "And please – I had a pretty good idea I'd have a shadow last night after I ran into Diggle. That wasn't a surprise. Why do you think I took a cab? I just wasn't expecting you to be waiting in my bedroom when I got home."

That drew a tiny smile from him. "Nice to know I'm not completely predictable."

"It's just – you've been treating me like I'm fragile ever since…" she swallowed. "Ever since the Count. I acknowledged I did a dumb thing that night, and I don't want to be in that position again. I don't want _you_ to be in that position again. So I am willing to compromise as long as it doesn't involve silly ideas like you and Diggle trying to pass yourselves off as cyber-goth punks."

Oliver gazed at her steadily, and the flash of emotion in his eyes was there and gone before she could fully process what it meant. "What about Sara?"

"But she's in Gotham."

"I have a jet," he returned, crossing his arms. "That's my compromise."

"What if she's busy?"

"She likes you. She's not too busy for this."

Felicity considered the potential problems, but she had to admit Sara would likely pass there given the right look. "I can work with that. I can tell her the password and she can enter separately. As long as you have the current password and fit the scene, no one questions your right to be there."

Oliver pulled out his phone and sent a message to Sara, who responded quickly. "She'll be here by tonight."

"Okay. Josh and I have a game of tag going with Neuromancer between blackouts, and every time he engages, I manage to track him a little further back to his location. He's not working from Anno – I'm pretty sure about that. All I need is a little more information, and I'll be able to piggyback his signal using that new stealth software I've been working on and then I'll have him."

"So you do your thing online and I'll get some work done while we wait. Your home office has everything I need to conduct business from here. We'll talk about the next step when Sara arrives."

She nodded and walked past him towards the living room, only to pause when he wrapped a hand around her wrist lightly. "I missed you in the office this week."

She turned back, surprised both by his words and his tone. "The temp is good, though, right?"

"She's fine. She's just not you." His hand moved down to squeeze hers as he smiled at her. Then he let go and walked past her to talk to Diggle.

Felicity remained in the kitchen for a moment, wondering what that was about. With Oliver it always seemed she was either a page behind or a page ahead, and sometimes she wondered if they were even reading from the same book. Because every time she told herself she was okay with being friend zoned, he said something or did something that made her hope for more. Frankly, she was beginning to resent the ambiguity of it all.

Josh appeared in the doorway. "You ready?"

Adjusting her glasses, she nodded and followed him out to the living room. She had a busy day ahead of her. She'd have to worry about Oliver later.

**A/N 2 – Sorry for the delay! Honestly, events of 2x06 and 2x07 threw me for a loop. I really wasn't expecting blatant acknowledgement of the Olicity ship, and I needed time to process it. Plus I got sucked into Tumblr lol – if any of you are on Tumblr, you can find me there – poetgirl925. I use the same name on Twitter as well. I haven't gotten around to responding to all the reviews, so I do want to thank you all for reading and supporting the story. I do appreciate it. Also, I rewrote parts of this while I was editing today with recent Olicity events in mind. No beta – let me know if you see any distracting errors. Thanks for reading!**


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